Politics on the Hump

If you are not happy about how Congress is spending, then go here to find out where the nearest tea party to you will be held, and GO.
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COCAINE SNORTER IN VIDEO LOOKS LIKE BIDEN'S DAUGHTER
Go here for the story:
Times online UK
and Here:
Radar Online
So, what are we to make of this? The left-leaning sites and tv news orgs are either leaving this alone and censoring it from you, or they are suggesting a set-up.

Hmmm. In cases like this, I go for the simplest and most logical test. That would be, what if this happened to me?

All sources who are reporting this say that neither Biden nor his daughter can be reached for comment. (Biden is not commenting and Ashley is not returning calls.)

If I were innocent (if that wasn't me in the video), I'd be shouting it from the rooftops into as many major league reporters' mikes as I could. And if I were guilty (meaning it was me in the video), I'd be laying low and hoping for strong and fast blowover winds.

So, I think it was her. It's only logical.

Plus, I really need a detailed explanation of how you can be set up if you are videoed snorting cocaine. Like, what's the set-up again? Oh, she was hypnotized into doing it? Seriously, what does being set up mean here?
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I DID NOT TURN OFF MY LIGHTS FOR EARTH HOUR
Guilty as charged on that account. Didn't feel guilty, either, because I think it's a stupid, superficial eco-status thing. Like, it makes people look all enviro if they do it.

Well, turns out it probably made no difference in actually saving any energy, if one uses California as a marker, and that's also pretty dang logical being what Cali is and all. Check out the charts over at the Grand Rants blog. They show that Earth Hour was a total bust in California, where if you can make it enviro there, you can make it anywhere, right? Apparently not. So, I'm concluding I missed nothing at all and any guilt over it would be a waste. :-)

Wow, wonder what other *facts* will turn out to be myths before too long. I cannot wait to see if the Polar ice cap melts in 4 years as promised....{Sigh}

keepin' up with the corleones

Yup, got sucked into watching Part I tonite on AMC. To be honest, doesn't take much suction at all to draw me in. Parts I and II are in my Top Ten of All Time Favorite Movies. Pressure me and I'll even add Part III to the list, even though it is my least favorite of the trilogy. (Actually, I cheat and list the Trilogy as one slot on my list...too many movies, too few slots.)

The thing about the Godfather that sucks me in is the intensity of the details: of mafia life, of family life, and the details of the awful transition of Michael Corleone from a likeable innocent into a driven monster. Frankly, by Part III, I'm rooting for someone to do him in. Alas, nature takes its course and makes it anti-climactic for me. Michael, as does his father, goes out with a whimper, not a bang.



I was reading Internet Movie Database (again - it's like Trivial Pursuit Solitaire for me), and somehow I ended up on Spencer Tracy's biography. There I read the most interesting thing about his long time lover, Katherine Hepburn. She purposefully never saw Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, because it was Tracy's last movie (he died just 17 days later) and she feared it would just be too hard on her because she would want to watch it with him.

This alone would be one of those stories only told in Hollywood, but it gets even more amazing when you realize that Hepburn won the Best Actress Oscar for that performance! Wrap your head around that for a minute. Could you, or anyone else you know, have won THE award in your profession and not watch the movie and your winning performance? That's gotta be a first and last. I highly doubt Bette Davis would ever be able to resist. And just forget today's actors.

But then, this was a woman who never had a mirror in her home because she thought it vain and silly to gawk at oneself.

I also learned a few juicy tidbits about Loretta Young, who had a TV show when I was a child where she was a mercurial domestic goddess, the kind you could almost believe was still a virgin, just a married one...with children.



That was an image she carefully cultivated later on in her career and life, becoming a daily Roman Catholic communicant. But when she was younger she was apparently quite the risk-taker. I had known for a while that she'd had a torrid affair with Clark Gable on the set of Call of the Wild in 1934, became pregnant, went off in secret to have his child and then kept the paternity a public secret for a good many years.




Now, check this out. At the time, Loretta was single and unmarried, Gable was married - to someone else. Both were Catholic and both had clauses in their movie contracts that forbid scandal. Loretta kept their daughter in an orphanage for 2 years, then "adopted" her. So, the daughter, Judy, lived her entire childhood in the home of her real mother thinking she was her adopted mother, and never knowing who her real father was, although most of Hollywood knew, including her classmates. Many of them knew just by looking at the girl. She eventually found out about Gable when her fiance told her on the eve of her wedding.

This all makes my head spin. Unbelievable! But, maybe totally believable...my Catholic mother-in-law can convince herself of almost anything.

emBRACEable me...

You may be wondering, what the heck is in that photo? Well, it's what has been snugly adorning my neck for the last several days: my lovely neck brace. :-))

I was instructed to buy the brace almost a decade ago for the pinched nerve in my neck. Apparently, wearing it helps decompress where the spinal discs are pinching the nerve. I remember at the time, the doctor told me that the progression of home therapy was the brace, a chin strap and weights on the end of my bed, and then inversion, like the Teeter Inversion Hang-Ups.

I'm of two opinions about my neck brace. On the one hand, it does provide some decompression and relief, but I have learned through trial and error that I need to wear the thing 8 hours to get 8 hours of relief. Any less wear and the relief time shortens. You can imagine how old that can get on a daily basis, so I only use it when I'm in unbearable pain or pain with accompanying arm and finger numbness like I'd had recently.

And now that all this time has passed, my problems have worsened to where the second step of the therapy is useless. A Teeter is definitely in my near future, but meanwhile, the neck brace is going to be worn until it quits producing any relief.



My neck problems really couldn't have come at a better time weather-wise. Since I last blogged, we had 2-3 days of rain. Pretty dreary-looking. Had it continued to be all sunny and springy, I'd have been even more unhappy.



Then we had a cold front (cool front for ya'll up North). The days were cool, but the nights were in the 40's which is cold for here. Hubs had just finished lecturing me about not running Reggie's heater, so I made it a point to tell him the heater was back on, bud, and don't mess with it. Every night Reggie runs into his house as soon as the plug is connected, and stays there all night long, so I know he needs the warmth. Hubs is so heartless sometimes. Me, I turn it on the minute it hits 59 or colder. Hubs would let it get into the 40's before plugging it in. I'm hoping he comes back as a dog whose owner is just like him in this regard, hehe. Then he will see. ;-)



We did manage to have some good food, though. Here is Hubs posing so enthusiastically (not) with his major award from work, a new smoker pit. Every so often, if you have contributed something safety-wise, they give you a web link and tell you to choose a gift. This is what Hubs chose back around Christmas.



Here's my plate: pulled pork, potato salad and broccoli. It was awesomely delish. Eating it with the neck brace on: not so fun, but I managed. ;-)

Spring in My Step...

Golly Geebers, I needed a good day today and so far I've been blessed. Today has been wonderfully Springy down here: 70's, partly sunny, not too much wind. The hum of lawn mowers and trimmers has been constant. Usually I abhor that, but I cannot be mad at anything today.

Sorry I've been so long between posts, but this past week has been a bad one for me healthwise. Last week was my intravenous therapy week for my arthritii, and I always feel like warmed over crap for about 7-10 days afterwards. I have night sweats, the runs, and I am sick to my stomach more often than not. It is in fact a bit like chemotherapy, except thank goodness no hair loss. It's all about forcing toxins and bad stuff out. I really ought to be feeling poorly, but on the Spring Equinox with cooperative weather, how can I feel other than great? Mind over matter for one day! winkwink

Today I took good care of our Reggie Dog. It had been 1 month and 10 days since his last bath, I am ashamed to say. So, I corrected that. Then, I washed and dried his dog bed, his blanket and the curtain covering his dog house door. (He lives right outside our back door on the covered porta cache, in a Little Tykes Playhouse, with a space heater inside, and it would have a window unit air conditioner if it were up to me, winkwink.)

While his bedding was in the wash, Reggie got to spend the afternoon on top of a soft cushiony blanket and watch Animal Planet. Hubster came home from work and Reggie got to go sit with him and watch TV a little longer. Then, we all went outside and helped Hubs shop-vac the inside of the doghouse. I picked up and threw out all of the remnants of steak bones that were hidden in corners, along with some nasty little stuffed animals that were beyond saving.

King Reginald's castle is once again clean and refreshed. I've made a promise to give him a bath every Saturday and to wash his bedding. He's such a sweet obedient doxie and loves his baths and his clean digs. I know 2009 is officially the year of the ox according to the Chinese, but around here it might just be the year of the dog. winkwink

My ER / Friday, the 13th Weekend

I have had the most interestingly annoying last 4-5 days, with this weekend being the most annoying. Though I've tried, I have been unsuccessful at shaking the negativity involved with bad days. This leads to an ill feeling just under the surface. You're handling it, you think. But is it really handling you?

For one thing, it has been crappy weather: bone-chilly wetness hours on end, day after day and no sunshine. This gets my arthritii flared because of the humidity, so my neck is in crackly stiffness and pain 24/7. And, really, my fingers, feet, left shoulder, right hip...you get the idea.

I had a slight reprieve on Thursday night when I chanced upon ER on TV, and was utterly delighted I had. I used to be a huge ER fan. I know I watched faithfully for at least the first 5 years. It holds a place in my TV heart even if I got tired of the same old same old with different characters.

Well, they are closing it out right by bringing back old characters in the plot, like to say goodbye along with the current cast. This episode was especially awesome for me because I had always wanted Doug and Carol to re-unite and live Happily Evuh, ya know? Well, guess what, they have - score! It was pure heaven seeing that sexy smile on Doug's face and not have to cringe, thinking uh-oh he's going to screw up again. No, really, it was nice seeing them both in love with each other, mature and happy.

But Friday morning, I was woke up out of a dead sleep by the police knocking on my door! Turns out my phone had water in the line (again!) and was dialing 911 and hanging up. I kid you not. Now, that ticked me off. What a waste of tax money to send the cops on goose chases, and also, can't Verizon figure out how to cut the power to lines that do this...or even better, have them dial their own freakin repair number! Omgosh, that's just so messed up.

Next up, Saturday...the Hubs decides to clean under the cook top. You may recall our wall oven is not working because the element broke off in his hands when he was cleaning that. Well, you guessed it: somehow, when he was cleaning, he managed to make the clicker sound go non-stop (it's natural gas). We had to end up flipping off the breaker to get it to stop. The stove top can still be used, we just have to light the flame manually. Don't know about you, but I think he needs to quit cleaning appliances. LOLOL, poor guy.

Sunday night, my internet went out. Another annoying thing. I was spooked enough by this time to wonder if there was water in the cable, winkwink. Talked to my dad and he reminded me these things run in 3's, so I should be okay for awhile from now on. One can always hope! :-))

Malto-Meal Morning

Every once in a while, I splurge. Kinda like people who never quit wanting their breakfast to be Cocoa Puffs every day.

I never got to eat Malto-Meal growing up, though. Hubs neither. Both of us were in families where foods like that and Tang and frozen veggies and tv dinners were extravagances. So we indulge our childhood dreams in this small and enjoyable way.

Well, Spring is sputtering awake around my parts. The weather has been much like Dickens described, "It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer
in the light, and winter in the shade."

All week it's been sunny at times during the day, then cloudy and blustery. No rain, though. We are down 7 inches on the year so far, which is a lot. I just don't remember such a display of seasonal change as in the last year. It's a welcome change.

I finally have a working car now! A birthday present of sorts from the Hubster...getting it fixed, that is. He took off a couple of days last week and got it repaired. The right rear wheel bearings had to be replaced. But then it got sort of ridiculous. There's a diagnostic light that is supposed to come on when there's engine trouble, but as the car aged it came on when the gas cap wasn't on there just exactly like it liked. (My Honda has the same light, and personally I think it's a sneaky way to make you have to take it in to the dealer for maintenance, if you ask me.)

Anyway, the Focus light was on and Hubs took it down to the auto parts store to get it turned off. But he had to then drive it for 40-50 miles in order to let it re-diagnosis all the different things it monitors and a-okay them. Only then would it pass inspection.

For almost 2 days, Hubs drove the Focus around and around, until Saturday it finally was ready to get inspected. Thankfully, it passed or I'd probably still be car-less.

Took it out for the first time yesterday to run some quick errands. It has just over 48,000 miles and I realized that if I drive it slowly I'll enjoy it. That is the key. Otherwise, I'm going to expect it to be as powerful and responsive as the Honda, and that ain't gonna happen. Missy always mentions how powerful the Honda makes her feel when she's driving, and the engine is quick and strong. It could easily be like crack to Missy, who never met a speed limit she obeyed. winkwink

I'm ashamed to say I've gained back those 5 pounds from the holidays. I suspect it was/is the Valentines chocolate, of course. I emailed the nutritionist and she was like, no worries. Immediately begin drinking green tea, cutting out all butter, and get more exercise in. I really can't argue with that.

The last few days have been high on pain for me. I've been trying to get all my sleep, too. And since I'm now doused in drowse, I'll seeya next time!

Happy Un-Birthday to Me!

I turned 53 this weekend. Exactly when? The split second between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Yep, Leap Year birthdays are like that 75% of the time.

I don't let technicalities ruin it though. I just celebrate both days, winkwink, kinda like a birthday mardi gras. Well, middle-age style.

We made the drive down Interstate 10 to visit Missy, who's off at college. We went to eat at the restaurant she has worked at for 14 months, Bistro Le Monde. It was really neat to be waited on by my dear daughter, who is excellent by the way.

Scenes from an Un-birthday (#53):

Arriving at the restaurant, what a cool building. In a very very nice swanky part of town, too. And Missy's apartment is right around the corner, practically.

There she is, ready to greet us.

Appetizers? Say cheese!

What a couple of clowns!

My birthday entree: flat iron sirloin with fried shrimp and grilled asparagus.

Later we visited at her apartment and we got to meet the new pet, Mr. Albino Froggie.

Missy got a new desk and chair. She's always taken her study habits seriously.

The Hubster had to stand in order to stay awake. It was practically 9 p.m., well past his normal bedtime, poor thing. winkwink